Ep 7. Tracy Does Conan
- TV14
- December 7, 2006
- 21 min
-
8.2 (1,518)
In the seventh episode of 30 Rock's first season entitled "Tracy Does Conan," Tracy Morgan becomes a guest on the late-night talk show, Conan O'Brien, playing himself. The episode explores the behind-the-scenes chaos that takes place when a celebrity guest on a talk show goes off-script and how producers and writers scramble to deal with the situation.
As Tracy prepares for his appearance on Conan, Jack Donaghy is dealing with his own crisis. His boss, Don Geiss, has fallen into a diabetic coma, and Jack is in a power struggle with his rival, Devon Banks, to take over Geiss's duties while he is recovering. The pressure of this competition drives Jack to try to pressure Tracy to be on his best behavior during his Conan appearance.
Liz Lemon, the head writer of "The Girlie Show," is also concerned about Tracy's appearance on Conan. She knows that he struggles to stay on topic and can often go on wild tangents, which can be hilarious but also dangerous for network television. Despite her warnings, Tracy agrees to appear on Conan without Liz's supervision.
As predicted, Tracy goes off-script during his appearance on Conan and causes a stir with his jokes and antics. The network executives are not pleased, and Liz fears that her job is on the line. She enlists the help of several of the writers to come up with a quick damage control plan before it's too late.
Meanwhile, Jack is still trying to outdo Devon, who has convinced Geiss's wife, Kathy, that he is the better candidate to take over Geiss's position. Jack realizes that he needs to focus on the bigger picture rather than just winning the temporary promotion. He decides to help Tracy clean up his image by taking him to AA meetings and counseling sessions.
As the chaos continues to unfold, Liz's boyfriend, Dennis, becomes jealous of Jack and accuses Liz of having an affair with him. Liz denies the allegations, and Dennis storms out of the office. Liz is left to try to repair her relationship and restore order to the show.
"Tracy Does Conan" is a hilarious and entertaining episode that showcases the challenges of live television and the chaos that can ensue when things go off-script. The episode also explores the power struggles and competition that take place in the world of network television and the lengths that people will go to in order to get ahead.
Overall, "Tracy Does Conan" is a must-see episode of 30 Rock that highlights the show's clever writing, impeccable comedic timing, and talented cast. It's an episode that will leave you laughing out loud and appreciating the hard work and dedication that goes into creating a successful late-night talk show.